Appalling P13 and P4 service.

[apbremer]

These buses used to be reasonably frequent and reliable.

Today, 5th Nov. with light traffic about 12.20 pm I had to wait 25 mins at North Dulwich Station for a P4 from Brixton, and then later 21 mins at West Dulwich at 4.40 pm for a P13 towards New Cross.

Pathetic.

Complaints seem to make no difference. What is going on??

[KidKruger]

This morning in Whateley Rd there was a large delivery for a building site, which took 25mins (that I know of, I left P13 to walk to LL for an alt bus).

P13s were stopped (and stacking-up) in both directions.

The builder lorry guy was asking the buses to squeeze through the available gap, but they were not having it - probably the gap was not convincing or the bus drivers have instructions.

So sometimes the delay is not the operators? fault, is my point.

[Clifton]

Also today P13s were stationary in both directions on Underhill Road for quite a while because someone was lying ill or injured in the middle of the road. (Best wishes to the person concerned, of course.) Again, no fault of the drivers or the operating company, but incidents such as this one both interrupt the service at the time, and cause timing problems over the next period too.

And while it's regrettable that apbremer was delayed, a wait of 21 minutes for a P13 at a time when they are scheduled to be every 15 minutes surely doesn't justify the description "appalling", does it?

[Penguin68]

Both buses serve people 'off the beaten (main roads) track' via quite narrow local roads - which are (as has been pointed out above) easily (and frequently) blocked. Even bin lorries can hold up buses for a little time (and today is bin day on at least part of the p13 route, on top of everything else reported). The downside of 'very' local buses is local traffic disruption.

[Sue]

You can check when the next bus is due and where it is now on apps like buscountdown.

I use it for the P13.

And yes, you can hardly blame the bus company for delays outwith their control.

[mary123]

When I have used both these buses in the past, waiting times are long,I would recommend emailing/ contacting TFL as they responded and took action when I mentioned the short time set for the traffic lights at Dulwich Common.

[ed26]

The P buses are all dreadful. They are only timetabled for only 3-4 buses an hour, so it only needs one to be cancelled or delayed before people are waiting for 30+ minutes. They are small and cramped, and always packed and, as they are more likely to be used by those who don't have the option of walking to a main bus route or driving to the supermarket, each stop can take ages while everyone shuffles around and moves their shopping, prams, trolleys, etc.

There's no easy answer. All of the points raised in the thread are equally valid. I'm sure they could justify increasing the frequency as the services seem heavily used. But this would result in more bunching when the roads are congested. So maybe just better management - more passing places with red-route style restrictions, and more active management to try to space them out more evenly.

[damzel]

Well this is worrying. I'm looking to move house and was specifically looking at areas along the P4 bus route so my daughter could take it to school. Does anyone have kids at Charter North that use the P4? Is it reliable enough?

[KidKruger]

P13 buses today I?m not going down Whateley Rd.

Willie Road is closed at the junction with Crystal Palace Road, blocking the usual route.

I think the service is still running but it is going to avoid that area.

[kiera]

Yes, I used the P13 yesterday and, as it could not use Whately Rd, it was diverted via Lordship Lane and Barry Rd. There were no notices on the two bus stops it could not serve (Underhill Rd/Crystal Palace Rd and Whately Rd) so people were waiting in vain at those stops. There were no announcements for passengers on the bus to let them know the bus was on diversion and it didn't stop at any of the stops on Barry Rd when passengers rang the bell. I was under the impression that the bus drivers had not been prepared for this diversion, so were having to concentrate on following the diversion signs.

[Bic Basher]

ed26 Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> The P buses are all dreadful. They are only

> timetabled for only 3-4 buses an hour, so it only

> needs one to be cancelled or delayed before

> people are waiting for 30+ minutes.

The P4 has five buses per hour, but they get stuck along Dulwich Common where the traffic goes at a snail's pace due to the poor phasing of the traffic lights at the Lordship Lane junction.

The P13 has four buses per hour and suffers also from the Dulwich Common issues in addition to the problems using Underhill Road/Whateley Road.

[savvygirl]

I always check bus arrivals on the TFL website. If you click on the white star in a circle (top right) and then click on Buses and enter the bus route you require and its direction, it will list all stops. Click on the appropriate bus stop and it will say when the next bus is due. Alternatively, if you know the bus stop number, which appears on all bus stops, you can enter that. Allow yourself time to get to get to the bus stop as I have found the P13 in particular is usually bang on time.

[yeknomyeknom]

I walked home from Streatham Odeon the other night. Bus stop showed the next 10buses and none were the p13 for about 25mins. It was freezing so I started to walk. An hour later, just as I reached Lordship Lane, a p13 finally passed. Absolutely ridiculous.

[Bumpkin]

Is there any point petitioning TFL on this? My son gets the bus back from school when he has a club and has regularly been waiting in the rain for 25 mins - now in the dark.

[singalto]

I saw a P13 coming down the hill towards GG this morning and another emerge from North Cross Rd onto LL so where does it go on redirection?

[dbboy]

Pls see below, just copied from TfL website.

"WHATELEY ROAD, SE22: Route P13 is diverted due to roadworks. Buses are diverting via Lordship Lane and Barry Road - missing the stops from Underhill Road / Melford Road to Whateley Road in both directions.

THURLOW PARK ROAD: Route P13 is on diversion due to a road traffic collision. Buses are diverted via Norwood Road, Half Moon Lane, Dulwich Village, College Road and Dulwich Common. Buses will not serve stops from Dulwich College to Avenue Park Road."

[kiera]

P13 was back to normal, using Whately Rd this evening.

[dbboy]

thanks for the update